Symbolic Dialogues and Strategic Counsel: Six Stories of Antoninus and R' Yehuda HaNasi (Avodah Zarah 10a-b)
The Talmud recounts several interactions between Antoninus (אנטונינוס), a Roman ruler, and R' Yehuda HaNasi, highlighting their close relationship and the wisdom of R' Yehuda HaNasi.1
Outline
R' Yehuda HaNasi’s Clever Solution to Antoninus’s Dilemma
R' Yehuda HaNasi's Advice to Antoninus on Dealing with Adversaries
Antoninus and R' Yehuda HaNasi's Exchange Over the Fate of a Wayward Daughter
Antoninus' Secret Gift: Gold for Future Generations
Antoninus's Secret Visits: A Tale of Secrecy and Resurrection
Antoninus Serving R’ Yehuda HaNasi
The Passage
A Lesson in Diplomacy: R' Yehuda HaNasi’s Clever Solution to Antoninus’s Dilemma
Antoninus asked R' Yehuda HaNasi for advice on how to ensure both his son Severus2 would succeed him as ruler and that the city of Tiberias would be exempt from taxes.3 Antoninus could only make one request (presumably, to the Roman senate).
To answer, R' Yehuda HaNasi gave a cryptic theatrical demonstration:4 he placed a man on another man's shoulders and gave a dove to the man on top, instructing the man below to tell the one above to release the dove.
Antoninus understood the following message: he should ask the Senate to appoint his son as ruler and then have his son exempt Tiberias from taxes.
א"ל אנטונינוס לרבי:
בעינא ד
ימלוך אסוירוס ברי תחותי
ותתעביד טבריא קלניא
ואי אימא להו חדא -- עבדי
תרי -- לא עבדי
אייתי גברא
ארכביה אחבריה
ויהב ליה יונה לעילאי בידיה
וא"ל לתתאה: אימר לעילא, דלמפרח מן ידיה יונה
אמר: שמע מינה, הכי קאמר לי:
את בעי מינייהו דאסוירוס ברי ימלוך תחותי
ואימא ליה לאסוירוס, דתעביד טבריא קלניא
It is related that Antoninus said to R' Yehuda HaNasi:
I wish for
Asveirus my son to rule instead of me,
and that the city Tiberias be released [kelaneya] from paying taxes.
And if I tell the Roman senate one of my wishes, they will do as I wish,
but if I ask for two of them they will not do as I wish.
R' Yehuda HaNasi conveyed his answer in the following manner: He brought a man,
placed him on the shoulders of another man,
and put a dove in the hands of the one on top.
And he said to the one on the bottom: Tell the one on top that he should cause the dove to fly from his hands.
Antoninus said to himself: Learn from it that this is what R' Yehuda HaNasi is saying to me:
You should ask the Senate: Let Asveirus my son rule instead of me,
and say to Asveirus that he should release Tiberias from paying taxes.
Strategic Counsel: R' Yehuda HaNasi's Advice to Antoninus on Dealing with Adversaries
Antoninus asked R' Yehuda HaNasi for advice on dealing with troublesome important Romans.
Once again, R' Yehuda HaNasi answered with a demonstration, instead of giving a direct answer: He led Antoninus to his garden and each day uprooted a radish5 in front of him.
Antoninus inferred from this symbolic act that R' Yehuda HaNasi was advising him to deal with his enemies one at a time, rather than confronting them all at once.
א"ל מצערין לי חשובי [רומאי]
מעייל ליה לגינא
כל יומא, עקר ליה פוגלא ממשרא קמיה
אמר: ש"מ, הכי קאמר לי: את קטול חד חד מינייהו, ולא תתגרה בהו בכולהו
[...]
Antoninus also said to R' Yehuda HaNasi: Important Romans are upsetting me; what can I do about them?
R' Yehuda HaNasi brought him to his garden, and every day he uprooted a radish from the garden bed before him.
Antoninus said to himself: Learn from it that this is what R' Yehuda HaNasi is saying to me: You should kill them one by one, and do not incite all of them at once.
[...]
Symbolic Dialogue: Antoninus and R' Yehuda HaNasi's Exchange Over the Fate of a Wayward Daughter
Antoninus had a daughter named Gira that engaged in promiscuous behavior. Antoninus and R' Yehuda HaNasi communicated through a series of symbolic gifts to discuss her fate, each one playing on the Aramaic name of a plant:
He first sent a rocket plant (גרגירא - arugula), hinting at her misconduct. R' Yehuda HaNasi responded by sending coriander,6 suggesting she deserved the death penalty.
Antoninus replied with leeks (כרתי), indicating that he feared being “cut off” if he carried out the execution. Finally, R' Yehuda HaNasi sent lettuce (חסא), urging Antoninus to have mercy on his daughter.
הוה ליה ההוא ברתא דשמה גירא
קעבדה איסורא
שדר ליה גרגירא
שדר ליה כוסברתא
שדר ליה כרתי
שלח ליה חסא
The Gemara relates: Antoninus had a certain daughter whose name was Gira,
who performed a prohibited action, i.e., she engaged in promiscuous intercourse.
Antoninus sent a rocket plant [gargira] to R' Yehuda HaNasi, to allude to the fact that Gira had acted promiscuously [gar].
R' Yehuda HaNasi sent him coriander [kusbarta], which Antoninus understood as a message to kill [kos] his daughter [barta], as she was liable to receive the death penalty for her actions.
Antoninus sent him leeks [karti] to say: I will be cut off [karet] if I do so.
R' Yehuda HaNasi then sent him lettuce [ḥasa], i.e., Antoninus should have mercy [ḥas] on her.
Antoninus' Secret Gift: Gold for Future Generations
Antoninus sent R' Yehuda HaNasi sacks (מטראתא) filled with gold dust ( פריכא), disguised with wheat at the top.
Despite R' Yehuda HaNasi's initial refusal, saying he had enough money, Antoninus insisted, explaining that the gold was intended for future generations. He foresaw that the gold would eventually be used by R' Yehuda HaNasi's descendants (meaning, future patriarchs) to pay taxes to the Romans.
כל יומא, הוה שדר ליה דהבא פריכא במטראתא וחיטי אפומייהו
אמר להו: אמטיו חיטי לרבי
אמר [ליה רבי]: לא צריכנא, אית לי טובא
אמר: ליהוו למאן דבתרך, דיהבי לבתראי דאתו בתרך, ודאתי מינייהו ניפוק עלייהו
The Gemara relates: Every day Antoninus would send to R' Yehuda HaNasi crushed gold in large sacks, with wheat in the opening of the sacks.
He would say to his servants: Bring this wheat to R' Yehuda HaNasi, and they did not realize that the bags actually contained gold.
R' Yehuda HaNasi said to Antoninus: I do not need gold, as I have plenty.
Antoninus said: The gold should be for those who will come after you, who will give it to the last ones who come after you. And those who descend from them will bring forth the gold that I now give you, and will be able to pay taxes to the Romans from this money.
Antoninus's Secret Visits: A Tale of Secrecy and Resurrection
Antoninus had a secret tunnel (נקרתא) connecting his house to that of R' Yehuda HaNasi. To keep his visits secret, Antoninus would bring two slaves7 each time, killing one at the entrance of R' Yehuda HaNasi's house and the other at his own, ensuring no one knew of his visits. He instructed R' Yehuda HaNasi to make sure no one else was present when he visited.
However, one day, R' Ḥanina bar Ḥama was there. Antoninus questioned this, but R' Yehuda HaNasi reassured him that R' Ḥanina was “not a man” (i.e. he’s like an angel). Antoninus then asked R' Ḥanina to wake a slave at the entrance, but R' Ḥanina discovered the slave was dead. Unsure of how to handle the situation, R' Ḥanina prayed and revived the slave. Antoninus acknowledged R' Ḥanina's supernatural ability to revive the dead, but reiterated his desire for privacy during his visits.
ה"ל ההיא נקרתא דהוה עיילא מביתיה לבית רבי
כל יומא, הוה מייתי תרי עבדי
חד קטליה אבבא דבי רבי, וחד קטליה אבבא דביתיה
א"ל: בעידנא דאתינא, לא נשכח גבר קמך
יומא חד, אשכחיה לר' חנינא בר חמא דהוה יתיב
אמר: לא אמינא לך בעידנא דאתינא לא נשכח גבר קמך?!
א"ל: לית דין בר איניש
א"ל: אימא ליה לההוא עבדא דגני אבבא, דקאים וליתי
אזל ר' חנינא בר חמא, אשכחיה דהוה קטיל
אמר:
היכי אעביד?
אי איזיל ואימא ליה דקטיל, אין משיבין על הקלקלה
אשבקיה ואיזיל, קא מזלזלינן במלכותא
בעא רחמי עליה, ואחייה, ושדריה
אמר: ידענא זוטי דאית בכו מחיה מתים, מיהו, בעידנא דאתינא, לא נשכח איניש קמך
The Gemara relates another anecdote involving Antoninus. Antoninus had a certain underground cave from which there was a tunnel that went from his house to the house of R' Yehuda HaNasi.
Every day he would bring two servants to serve him.
He would kill one at the entrance of the house of R' Yehuda HaNasi, and would kill the other one at the entrance of his house, so that no living person would know that he had visited R' Yehuda HaNasi.
He said to R' Yehuda HaNasi: When I come to visit, let no man be found before you.
One day, Antoninus found that R' Ḥanina bar Ḥama was sitting there.
He said: Did I not tell you that when I come to visit, let no man be found before you?!
R' Yehuda HaNasi said to him: This is not a human being; he is like an angel, and you have nothing to fear from him.
Antoninus said to R' Ḥanina bar Ḥama: Tell that servant who is sleeping at the entrance that he should rise and come.
R' Ḥanina bar Ḥama went and found that the servant Antoninus referred to had been killed.
He said to himself:
How shall I act?
If I go and tell Antoninus that he was killed, this is problematic, as one should not report distressing news.
If I leave him and go, then I would be treating the king with disrespect.
He prayed for God to have mercy and revived the servant, and he sent him to Antoninus.
Antoninus said: I know that even the least among you can revive the dead; but when I come to visit let no man be found before you, even one as great as R' Ḥanina bar Ḥama.
Antoninus' Humility: Serving R’ Yehuda HaNasi with Reverence and Devotion
Antoninus would personally serve R' Yehuda HaNasi by providing him with food and drink. When R' Yehuda HaNasi was ready to go to bed, Antoninus would bow down and offer himself as a stepping stool, saying: "Ascend upon me to your bed."8
R' Yehuda HaNasi responded that it was improper to show such disrespect to a king. Antoninus replied, expressing his wish to be a mattress (מצע) under R' Yehuda HaNasi in the World-to-Come.9
כל יומא, הוה משמש לרבי
מאכיל ליה, משקי ליה
כי הוה בעי רבי למיסק לפוריא, הוה גחין קמי פוריא
א"ל: סק עילואי לפורייך
אמר: לאו אורח ארעא לזלזולי במלכותא כולי האי
אמר: מי ישימני מצע תחתיך לעולם הבא
[...]
The Gemara relates: Every day Antoninus would minister to R' Yehuda HaNasi;
he would feed him and give him to drink.
When R' Yehuda HaNasi wanted to ascend to his bed, Antoninus would bend down in front of the bed
and say to him: Ascend upon me to your bed.
R' Yehuda HaNasi said in response: It is not proper conduct to treat the king with this much disrespect.
Antoninus said: Oh, that I were set as a mattress under you in the World-to-Come!
[...]
For another talmudic discussion between Antoninus and R' Yehuda HaNasi, see my previous piece here.
אסוירוס. (Likely correctly pronounced Aswerus.) This is the Aramaic adaptation of the Latin name Severus (pronounced Sewerus; the Aramaic then adds a prosthetic aleph), which was the name of several Roman emperors, see Wikipedia, “Severus“.
קלניא.
Alternatively: “should become a colonia”. Seee Colonia (Roman) - Wikipedia:
A Roman colonia (pl.: coloniae) was originally a settlement of Roman citizens, establishing a Roman outpost in federated or conquered territory, for the purpose of securing it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of a Roman city. It is also the origin of the modern term "colony."
עבדי - Steinzaltz translates “servant”, but based on context, it’s more likely to mean “slave”. Compare Wikipedia, “Slavery in ancient Rome“:
Slavery in ancient Rome played an important role in society and the economy.
כי הוה בעי רבי למיסק לפוריא, הוה גחין קמי פוריא
א"ל: סק עילואי לפורייך
For a comparable gesture in the Talmud, where a subordinate bends down (גחין) to serve as a human stepping stool for someone to step (סק) onto something higher, refer to my earlier piece discussing the account of the biblical Haman doing this for Mordechai:
אמר ליה: סק ורכב.
אמר ליה: לא יכילנא, דכחישא חילאי מימי תעניתא.
גחין וסליק.
כי סליק, בעט ביה.
Haman then said to him: Mount the horse and ride.
Mordecai said to him: I am unable, as my strength has waned from the days of fasting that I observed.
Haman then stooped down before him and Mordecai ascended on him.
As he was ascending the horse, Mordecai gave Haman a kick.
This final, poetic, line is the only one in Hebrew:
מי ישימני מצע תחתיך לעולם הבא
Who will place me as a mat under you in the World to Come?
In Hebrew Bible poetry, this construct is used in expressions of yearning or longing. For example, in Job 31:35:
מי יתן לי שומע לי
Who will give me a listener?
Meaning: “O that I had someone to give me a hearing“
In these cases, מי ישים or מי יתן is not expecting an answer but rather expressing an intense, sometimes hyperbolic longing or hope—often for something only God or a supernatural power can grant. The phrase is thus more about the speaker’s emotional state than a literal question.
Compare Wikipedia, “Optative mood“:
The optative mood ([…] abbreviated OPT) is a grammatical mood that indicates a wish or hope regarding a given action […]
Although English has no morphological optative, analogous constructions impute an optative meaning, including the use of certain modal verbs:
May you have a long life!
Would that I were younger.
Periphrastic constructions include if only together with a subjunctive complement:
If only I were rich!
I would sing if only I weren't tone deaf.
The optative mood can also be expressed elliptically:
(May) God save the Queen!
(May you) Have a nice day.
(May) God bless America.
The cohortative verb phrases let's (or let us) represent a syntactical mood as a subset of the optative mood:
Let's try it.
Let us pray.